Patricia Montague Friend

Patricia Montague Friend, 94, a resident of Chevy Chase, Maryland, since 1959, passed away peacefully at home with her family and loved ones by her side on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

Born in Philadelphia on May 4, 1931, she was a graduate of Goucher College and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from American University. She was the beloved wife of the late Edward Harry Friend and the life partner of artist and sculptor William H. Calfee, with whom she co-founded the Kensington Workshop. She was an accomplished painter, writer, teacher, and lifelong advocate for the Washington, D.C., arts community.

Her painting Millennium Prayer was chosen as one of ten international finalists in the Search for Jesus 2000 competition, sponsored by the National Catholic Reporter and judged by PBS art historian Sister Wendy Beckett. Her work has been exhibited at leading galleries in Washington, New York, and Maryland, and is included in public, corporate, and embassy collections worldwide.

She is survived by her brother Barrie and his wife Elizabeth; her brother Laddie and his wife Linda; and her four children: Amy Friend Roberts and her husband David, and their children Lee and Camille; Robert Ballin Friend and his wife Maribel, and their children Alyssa, Brianna, and Teddy; Tom Friend, and his children Cole and Riley; and Jennifer Turner Friend, and her children Wesley, Lily, and Holly.

A memorial service celebrating her life and work will be held in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2026. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made online to the William H. Calfee Foundation, supporting arts education and emerging artists.